PopCap Games has unveiled the results of a survey exploring the habits of the more than 10 million people who cheat at social video games in the U.S. and U.K. According to the survey of more than 1,200 adult consumers, nearly half (48%) of people who admit to cheating in social video games also admit to cheating in real life — compared to just 14% of those who don’t cheat in social video games. From stealing hotel towels to cheating on their taxes, social game cheaters are nearly 3.5 times as likely to be dishonest in the real world than non-cheaters. The full report, conducted by Information Solutions Group, is available for download at 2011 PopCap Social Gaming Cheaters vs. Non-Cheaters Research.

The report discovered that 118 million people regularly play social games in the U.S. and U.K. — and of those, 11% of people who play social games in the U.K. cheat, compared to 7% of U.S. players who cheat. The report also found that although the total number of women playing social games outpaces men 55% to 45%, men are more likely to cheat in social games than women (54% to 46%). In addition, 72% of cheaters are under the age of 40.

“How we behave in virtual space and interact with others in social games often mirrors how we act in the real world,” said Professor Clay Routledge of North Dakota State University’s Department of Psychology. “With more than 100 million people playing social games regularly, we can expect to see the full range of psychological characteristics represented in the social gaming population — even cheating.” The survey also bring cultural differences to daylight: U.K. cheaters are significantly more likely to cheat on their taxes than U.S. cheaters (58% versus 33%)

“It’s not surprising that online cheating parallels real-world cheating, even if people are just experimenting with the possibilities,” said Dr. Mia Consalvo of Concordia University. “With more of our daily systems and processes moving online, and being divorced from human contact (downloading music, filing taxes online) the risks either appear to be lesser, or they don’t feel like crimes.”